Franklin in Paradise by John Patrick

Author:John Patrick [Patrick, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, New adult, MM romance, postapocalypse, autism, neuro-diverse, gray ace, demisexual, apocalypse, pandemic, anxiety, panic attacks, dark, humorous, men with pets
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

We retraced our path, this time in the pickup. Through the woods, up the hill, past the waterworks, along the orchard, around the barn, and then back to the Shaker dwelling house. Patrick parked right in front of the door and turned off the engine.

We got out of the truck, and Prissy leapt down on her own. It was a steep drop, and she let out a soft yelp when she landed. She gave her head a shake, and I knelt to make sure she was okay. “We’ll have to be more careful. Make sure we lift her in and out,” I told Patrick.

I was struck once again by the silence. Or, rather, the uninterrupted sounds of nature and how everything is different without the background hum of the modern world. Even at this distance, I could hear the low murmuring of the sheep in the barn.

Stan must have heard the truck. He came out the door with a rectangular black piece of equipment in hand, about the size of a shoebox, as well as several dangling cords and wires. Loris followed behind him, a notepad and pencil in hand.

“Nice ride,” she called to Patrick.

“You boys found me a winner,” Stan said, as he came forward and leaned into the open cab. “Multiple power options too.” He pulled himself back out and stood straight. “Good work,” he said to me. Prissy wagged her tail, then stood up, placing her paws against his knee, giving herself a good stretch. Stan absently reached down and rubbed behind her ears. “Well, moment of truth. Let’s see what happens.”

Stan slid into the passenger seat with his radio where he’d have more space to maneuver without the steering wheel in the way. Patrick went to get in the driver’s seat. “Should I start it?” he asked as he headed around the back of the truck.

“No need,” replied Stan. “I’m just after the battery power. Franklin, can you sit up front with me? I want you to see how this works.” I was curious about the radio and pleased Stan wanted me to learn. Patrick backed away from the door, and I went around the front of truck to the driver’s side. I froze for a moment when I realized this meant Loris would be in the back with Patrick. Stan was watching me. “It’s all right, son. Come on in here.”

Stan and I settled into the front seats, while—dammit—Loris and Patrick slid into the back. Prissy awkwardly tried to pull herself in behind me so I reached down, picked her up, and immediately twisted around to hand her to Patrick in the back. I noticed a couple of small, pale drops of blood on my hand and made a mental note to check if she’d cut herself when she tried to scramble into the truck on her own.

Stan set the radio in his lap and reached forward, removing the plug on the round power supply port. “Glad we don’t need the converter since I didn’t think to bring that along,” he said as much to himself as to me.

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